STONY POINT 
BATTLE-FIELD 



A SKETCH OF ITS REVOLU- 
TIONARY HISTORY, AND 
PARTICULARLY OF THE 
SURPRISE OF STONY POINT 
BY BRIGADIER GENERAL 
ANTHONY WAYNE ON THE 
NIGHT OF JULY 15-16, 1779 

BY 

EDWARD HAGAMAN HALL 

WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY 

FRANCIS WHITING HALSEY 



Published by 

The American Scenic and Historic 

Preservation Society 

New York : iqo2 



STONY POINT 
BATTLE-FIELD 



A SKETCH OF ITS REVOLU- 
TIONARY HISTORY, AND 
PARTICULARLY OF THE 
SURPRISE OF STONY POINT 
BY BRIGADIER GENERAL 
ANTHONY WAYNE ON THE 
NIGHT OF JULY 15-16, 1779 



BY 

EDWARD HAGAMAN HALL 

II 

WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY 

FRANCIS WHITING HALSEY 



Published by 

The American Scenic and Historic 

Preservation Society 

New York : 1902 



^■-■*-- ■. ^ 



CONTENTS 



JS 



Introduction : The Hudson Valley in the Revolu 
tion ....... 

I. Stony Point Described , 
II. The Acquisition of the Reservation 

III. Before the Assault 

IV. Wayne's Exploit 
V. Subsequent Events 



PAGE 

3 

9 

14 

18 

23 
37 



ILLUSTRATIONS 

^ Portrait of Wayne, from TrirmbuU's Sketch — Fron- 
tispiece. 
Map of Stony Point . , , Opposite page 32 



Publisher 
28 JeI907 



Introduction. 



THE HUDSON VALLEY IN THE REVOLUTION. 



DURING the Revolution the valley of the Hudson 
was the central and critical ground of the war. 
Of supreme importance was it that the navigation 
of this river should be controlled. Had the English ever 
secured its entire length, the New England colonies 
would have been cut off from those to the south and 
west. The "rebellion" would thus have been severed 
in twain and its suppression made easy. In part the 
valley was lost more than once — twice through military 
valor and again through treason, but lost entirely it 
never was. 

Around the conflict for control of it, revolved the battles 
of Long Island and Harlem Heights, of Princeton and 
Trenton, the Brandywine and Germantown, Monmouth 
and Stony Point, Oriskany and Saratoga, and finally the 
treason of Arnold. Here, indeed, at the mouth of the 
Hudson, the war, in the sense of actual fighting, first 
began — in that battle of Golden Hill, fought in John 
street, New York City, in 1770, where was shed the first 
blood of the Revolution. 



After Golden Hill the first armed conflicts took place 
near Boston, but these engagements were scarcely more 
than preliminary events in the greater war which 
followed. So soon as this rebellion was found to be no 
longer local, so soon as thirteen colonies instead of one 
were seen to be in revolt, the scene shifted to New York, 
where in this valley lay the prize to be fought for. The 
British might well have hoped for success. The Tory 
party in New York was in control. New York was the 
administrative center of the British power in America. Its 
chief city had long been the center of a small court, 
modelled after the court of London. Society and public 
life had derived their tone from a royal example. New 
York harbor, indeed, commanded the Hudson Valley, 
and nearly forty British ships of war had sailed into it, 
while the Americans had no ships of war. 

First among Americans who saw the importance of 
holding this valley was a man whose name was repeatedly 
to be covered with martial glory, but a name that is 
remembered now almost wholly for his act of treason — 
Benedict Arnold. Immediately after the fight at 
Lexington, Arnold started with an army for the capture 
of Ticonderoga and Crown Point. Ethan Allen met 
him on the way and together they pressed on to demand 
surrender in famous words — " In the name of the Great 
Jehovah and the Continental Congress." Crown Point 
was next taken and then St. John. 

Late in the following summer another army set out 
along the upper Hudson, and Benedict Arnold traversed 
the forests of New England, bound also for Canada, 
meeting on arrival Gen. Montgomery who had forced 
his way from New York territory to Montreal. The 
two men pressed on to Quebec, on whose heights eighteen 
years before Wolfe had gained his imperishable renown. 



In scaling these heights Arnold was wounded and Mont- 
gomery killed — that soldier of New York who died all 
too soon for his country, and who lies buried beneath 
the portico of St. Paul's Church, with the roar of Broad- 
way above him chanting his eternal requiem. Around 
this valley for the remainder of the war this contest was 
mainly fought. 

Benedict Arnold not only at Ticonderogaand Quebec 
did service to his country, but he won the chief laurels 
at Saratoga, and all through the summer of 1776, was 
busy on the shores of Lake Champlain building an 
American fleet of war boats — the first navy of this 
country. After the first attempt by the British to gain 
control of the Hudson they could boast only that they 
still retained New York Island and that Carleton kept 
his place on Lake Champlain. From Ticonderoga all 
the way down the Hudson this territory remained in 
American hands. 

But when the second campaign for its capture ensued 
it was the most desperate of all. It was destined, how- 
ever, to an inglorious defeat, ending in surrender — the 
surrender of Burgoyne. Arnold, by a brave dash in the 
decisive moment at Saratoga, had swept down and 
cleared the field, and yet in that monument which 
commemorates the surrender no statue of him is seen. 
Only a vacant niche is found there — pathetic witness 
alike of Arnold's glory and his infamy. 

Great with meaning was Burgoyne's overthrow. Not 
only had England lost an army, but America gained the 
confidence of Europe, and the practical assistance of a 
great power. From this event we must reckon the loan 
we got from France, the soldiers she sent us, and chief 
among them all Lafayette. France had found that 
an American alliance was well worth having. She had 



]ust lost to England an Empire in the East; she still 
hoped to recover it, and hence was glad to aid this new 
and rising power in the West in its conflict with her own 
enemy. 

A new kind of warfare then arose in New York — a 
warfare of arson, massacre and ambush fighting, of 
which Indians were masters, and in which they had con- 
stant aid from Tories. Those border conflicts were essen- 
tial parts of the struggle for the Hudson Valley. They 
had been directly inspired from London and were actively 
directed by the British in New York and Canada. It 
was believed that forces might thus be drawn away from 
the Hudson Valley and that men, pouring down from 
Canada by way of Oswego and the Mohawk, by way of 
Niagara and the Susquehanna, might force their way to 
the Hudson Valley. Indeed, at one time these conflicts 
had gone so far that Gov. Clinton expressed grave fears 
lest the Hudson should become the frontier of the State. 

From the battle of Oriskany in 1777 until peace re- 
turned, these border lands became lands of terror. They 
were finally reduced to lands of complete desolation. 
Here were more than 12,000 farms that had ceased to be 
cultivated. More than two-thirds of the population had 
died or fled, and among those who remained were 300 
widows and 2,000 orphans. It is a record of battles in 
the open, battles in ambush, massacre and child murder, 
in the midst of which perhaps the great gleam of light 
that came from the conflict outside was the capture of 
Stony Point by Anthony Wayne, who was " mad " only 
in courage and patriotic zeal. 

One year of the war remained when all the fruits of it 
came near being lost in Arnold's treason. It is matter 
for much marvel that so ignoble an act, an act which in 
its success would have completely undone all that Arnold 

6 



had fought six years to gain, was possible to so brave 
and patriotic a soldier. Arnold was a man of impulses, 
generous and improvident, daring and adventurous; one 
of those mercurial natures which in great crises often 
seem endowed with the highest kind of manhood. 
Adversity, combined with temptation and false ambition, 
more often give us the true measure of natures like his. 
He had all the personal bravery of Washington and 
Greene, of Putnam and Wayne. What he lacked in 
woeful degree was that supreme endowment of the friend 
he wronged — that final test of all human excellence — 
character. Success for Arnold would have put the end 
of the war far longer off. Control of the Hudson must 
then have passed to British hands, and no man can say 
how the conflict could have been won. Last of these 
scenes on the Hudson came that meeting in the Living- 
ston house at Dobbs Ferry, where Washington and 
Rochambeau planned the campaign at Yorktown which 
ended the war. 

The way lay open now for the formation of a new 
nation on this continent, and largely because the Hudson 
Valley had been saved. New York had held fast to her 
allegiance — patriotic, imperial New York. Thus was 
prepared the way for that empire of democracy in which 
New York has formed the most glorious part. Out of 
that war, so largely fought with the Hudson Valley as 
the central ground, and out of the town meeting and 
the little red schoolhouse, has been raised up this 
republic where exists the happiest condition of man the 
earth anywhere has known — something far better than 

" The glory that was Greece, 
The grandeur that was Rome." 

Francis W. Halsey. 



STONY POINT 
BATTLE-FI ELD 

I. 

THE PROMONTORY DESCRIBED. 



^^TITTAD" Anthony Wayne? When one stands on the 
iVl peak of one of those beetling crags of Stony 
Point up which the audacious Pennsylvanian 
led his intrepid followers in the dead of night, July 
15-16, 1779, one little wonders at first that Wayne was 
called "Mad." But on second thought, it is realized 
that this sobriquet was nothing more than poetical 
hyperbole, employed for lack of a more effective word 
to express the invincible courage of a man who feared 
no enemy, not even the Fiend himself.* 

It was not a man with deranged faculties who went to 
Canada in 1776 with the regiment which he had raised, 
and so skillfully covered the retreat of the provincial 
forces at Three Rivers ; who so judiciously commanded 
at Fort Ticonderoga until 1777 ; whose splendid powers 
kept the British at bay for hours at Chad's Ford ; who 
brilliantly led the attack at Germantown ; who success- 

* Wayne is reported to have told Washington that he was willing 
to storm the infernal region itself if only Washington would plan it. 



fully captured supplies to keep the army from starving 
at Valley Forge ; who won the distinction of being the 
only officer named in Washington's letter to Congress 
for bravery at Monmouth ; who captured the almost im- 
pregnable Stony Point; whose skill saved Lafayette in 
Virginia in 1781 ; and who contributed to the final vic- 
tory at Yorktown. 

"Mad" Anthony ! A singular title indeed for a man 
whose brain was so clear, logical and practical in its 
operation that it could foresee the feasibility of his ex- 
traordinary exploit at Stony Point. The world generally 
calls anyone " mad " who conceives some great idea 
which it is pleased to consider impracticable ; but the 
moment the so-called " mad man " has demonstrated the 
truth or the practicability of his conception — be it in 
the domain of abstract philosophy, invention or in some 
other field — then the world falls at his feet and calls him 
a genius. In Wayne's case we have a paradox — a dis- 
tinguished military genius, ranking next to Greene, 
perhaps — a man who made impossibilities possible, and 
whom the world has honored by departing from its cus- 
tom and calling him "mad," when it means the very 
antithesis of madness. 

" I do most seriously declare that your assault on 
Stony Point is not only the most brilliant, in my opinion, 
throughout the whole course of the war, on either side, 
but that it is the most brilliant I am acquainted with in his- 
tory. The assault of Schweidnitz by Marshal Laudun I 
think inferior to it." This encomium from the not too 
friendly General Charles Lee, ranking Wayne above the 
great Austrian military commander, indicates the degree 
of admiration excited by his feat of July 15-16, 1779. 
To realize fully what this feat was, one needs to go to 
this historic spot and stand on the summit of the rocky 



promontory which, with Verplanck's Point across the 
river, forms the gateway to the Highlands, which were 
poetically likened by Irving to the Pillars of Hercules, 
and of which Stony Point is the Gibraltar. 

Stony Point juts into the Hudson River from its 
western shore about 35 miles north of New York City 
and about 12 miles south of West Point. This rocky 
promontory was formerly separated from the mainland 
by a marsh, which was threaded by a small stream 
navigable at high tide by small row-boats. The area 
thus cut off comprised about 100 acres, and was reached 
by a causeway, or " mud bridge," which crossed the 
marsh about midway between its northern and southern 
extremities. This marsh has latterly become partially 
obliterated by a growth of brakes, rushes and low shrub- 
bery. The elevated enclosure which the marsh and river 
encircle is extremely bold and rocky. It rises rapidly 
from the swamp toward the apex of the peninsula and 
is very precipitous on the river shore. At its highest 
point, it has an elevation of 140 feet above the river. 
The West Shore Railroad runs from north to south, 
through the point in a deep cut in the living rock, sep- 
arating about 43 acres on the east from about 57 acres 
on the west. The eastern portion, comprising the his- 
toric scene of the assault, is owned in part by the United 
States and in part by the State of New York. 

The location is of such commanding importance that 
the United States Government has long since acquired 
jurisdiction over about 9 acres at the extremity of the 
promontory and erected thereon, in the middle of the site 
of the old Revolutionary fort, a government beacon for 
the guidance of passing vessels. A portion of the light- 
house reservation has been cleared, and upon it may be 
seen, in excellent state of preservation, some of the works 



which protected the fort from the river side. Between 
the United States property and the railroad cut, the 
State of New York acquired and committed to the cus- 
tody of the American Scenic and Historic Preservation 
Society about ^^ 7-10 acres. 

One needs good lungs and strong muscles to take him 
to the elevation which Wayne and his men reached on 
that famous night in July, 1779, and which Washington 
ascended to congratulate the exultant victors; but when 
he reaches it he is repaid by the magnificent prospect. 
He finds himself lifted 140 feet in the air and looking 
down upon a diverse panorama of great extent and 
unsurpassed beauty. At his feet, on three sides, sweeps 
the queenly River of the North, expanding to the north 
into Peekskill Bay, and to the south into the majestic 
Haverstraw Bay, five miles wide, — the broadest part of 
the river. At Verplanck's Point across the river, he sees 
the anchorage of Henry Hudson's " Half Moon," its first 
halting place after leaving the mouth of the river; 
and a few miles to the south, opposite Croton Point, the 
anchorage of the "Vulture," on which the traitor Arnold 
made good his escape, abandoning the unhappy Andre 
to his fate. Upon Verplanck's Point is the site of Fort 
Fayette, at whose capitulation the same Andre joyously 
assisted on June i, 1779, when Stony Point was abandoned 
to the British. In a little cove on the northern side of 
Stony Point, lies the terminus of the famous King's 
Ferry, back and forth across which passed nearly all the 
heroes of the great drama of the Revolution. Up and 
down the river he sees the course over which sailed the 
naval pageant in honor of the close of the War for 
Independence — not the greatest procession in numbers, 
or tonnage, or destructive power, but the grandest in 
significance that ever floated on the bosom of the Hudson. 



In the distance toward the north, on either side of the 
river above Peekskill Bay, tower the giant sentinels of 
the Highland Passage, the Donderburg, 1098 feet high 
on the western bank, and Anthony's Nose, 1220 feet high 
on the eastern. Casting the eyes down the eastern shore 
of the river, one views a smiling landscape of beautiful 
hills, peaceful intervales and thriving villages. To the 
southward on the western shore of Haverstraw Bay, the 
High Torn Mountain, 820 feet high, foreshadows the 
sublimity of the scenery which the traveler from the 
south is approaching. Turning to the west, the danger- 
ous morass, which served as a natural moat to the Stony 
Point fortress, and the famous Mud Bridge causeway 
come into view, and beyond appear rolling hills and 
higher mountains. From one's feet the ground falls 
away precipitously on all sides, and massive crags, more 
or less concealed in the leafy screen of shrubs and young 
trees, jut up and out from the surface, affording natural 
defences against an enemy. By one's side stands the 
government's faithful monitor, its tall white tower a 
conspicuous landmark by day, and its sleepless eye a 
never-failing beacon by night. 

Whichever way one looks, his eye rests on ground 
made classic by the history and traditions of the country 
and upon scenes abounding in reminders of the truthful 
chronicles of the historian and the legendary fancies of 
the poet and romancer. "Mad" Anthony Wayne's pic- 
turesque and daring exploit, Arnold's treason, Andre's 
capture, the vagaries of the "bulbous-bottomed Dutch 
goblin," the fearful apparitions of the phantom "storm 
ship" and a hundred other histories and fictions invest 
the region with a fascinating interest second to that of 
no other on the Hudson. 



13 



II. 



THE ACQUISITION OF THE RESERVATION. 



Before proceeding to a detailed historj'^ of tlie remark- 
able events during the Revolutionary War the apprecia- 
tion of which led to the acquisition of the battle-field of 
Stony Point for a State Reservation, it is proper to recall 
the steps which led to the creation of the Park. 

In 1895, at the request of the Gettysburg Commission, 
Mr. H. K. Bush-Brown, the sculptor, of Newburg, N. Y., 
acted as a cicerone for them while on a visit to the Stony 
Point Battle-field. The visitors displayed such great 
interest in the spot and its history that Mr. Bush-Brown 
suggested to the Empire State Society of the Sons of 
the American Revolution that some steps be taken to 
secure the property for a State Reservation. At the 
meeting of the Board of Managers of that Society, on 
March 8, 1895, "on motion, Compatriots Thomas 
Wilson, * Frederick D. Grant,f and Edward Hagaman 
Hall were appointed a Committee to examine and 
report upon the proposition of Compatriot H. K. Bush- 
Brown regarding Stony Point." 

This Committee, accompanied by Messrs. Bush-Brown, 
Ira Bliss Stewart, Stephen M. Wright, and Lieut.-Col. 



*Brig. Gen. Thomas Wilson, U.S. A., now deceased, 
f Col. Frederick D. Grant, now Brig. Gen., U. S. A., son of U. S. 
Grant. 

14 



Peter C. Hains, U.S.A. (United States Engineer of 
the Third Lighthouse District), made a personal and 
critical examination of the ground on June i, 1895. On 
Sept. 19, 1895, the Committee presented its report, in 
favor of the creation of a public reservation, to the 
Society, whereupon it was resolved, that "the report 
of this Committee be submitted to the Trustees of 
Scenic and Historic Places and Objects * accompanied 
by the recommendation that the Trustees institute steps 
for the preservation of Stony Point as a State Park." 

From this point, the American Scenic and Historic 
Preservation Society, under the presidency of Hon. 
Andrew H. Green, has carried the undertaking forward 
successfully. In 1897 the Legislature passed the bill 
introduced by Hon. Clarence Lexovv, appropriating 
$25,000 for the purchase of the Stony Point Peninsula 
and committing the reservation to the care of the 
Society; and with the latter's assistance, the Comptroller 
was enabled to purchase 33 7-10 acres for the sum of 
$21,500, leaving an unexpended balance of $3,500. 

The property of the State is bounded as follows : 
Beginning on the south side of Stony Point Peninsula, at 
high-water mark of the Hudson River, and at the south- 
west corner of the land owned by the government of the 
United States, and running thence along said land north 
334^ degrees west 965 feet, to the north side of said 
peninsula and to high water-mark of the Hudson River; 
thence westerly along said high-water mark about 1,065 
feet, to land of John Teneycke ; thence southerly along 
said land about 500 feet, to the land of the West Shore 
Railroad Company; thence southerly along said railroad 
company land about 758 feet to the line separating the 



* Now the American Scenic and Historic Preservation Society. 

15 



upland on the north from the marsh-land on the south; 
thence easterly along said land about 550 feet to the Hud- 
son River; thence along the high-water mark of said river 
easterly about 830 feet, to the place of beginning, 
containing 33.7 acres more or less. 

The Society then appointed a Committee consisting 
of Messrs. Samuel Parsons, Jr., its Landscape Architect, 
H. K. Bush-Brown, George F. Kunz, and Edward 
Hagaman Hall, who made a furthur examination of the 
property and prepared a report, which was communi- 
cated to the Legislature of 1900, recommending the 
appropriation of the unexpended balance of $3,500 for 
the improvements necessary to make the Reservation 
accessible to the public, and by Chapter 408 of the Laws 
of 1900, the State made the appropriation requested. 

The Society then appointed as a committee to have 
charge of the improvements, Messrs. H. K. Bush-Brown, 
of Newburg, Samuel Parsons, Jr., of New York, Edward 
Hagaman Hall, of New York, Gordon H. Peck, of 
Haverstraw, and the Hon. Ira M. Hedges, of Haverstraw.* 

Under their direction, the reservation has been greatly 
improved. Three-quarters of a mile of new roadway 
has been constructed and one-eighth of a mile of old 
roadway rebuilt and widened, making an ample drive- 
way from the public highway to and through the Res- 
ervation to the steamboat landing, on the northern side 
of the reservation. The latter is an entirely new struct- 
ure, on the site of an old landing, and is capable of 
accommodating the largest river steamboats. The house 
on the Reservation has been repaired and made tenant- 
able for a caretaker. 



* Mr. Hedges died In April, 1902, and was succeeded by the Hon. 
Alonzo Wheeler, of Haverstraw. Mr. Parsons resigned the following 
month and was succeeded by Charles Frederick Wingate, of New York, 

16 



A complete topographical survey of the Point was 
made by United States Engineers from West Point by 
the courtesy of the War Department and with the valued 
co-operation of Col. A. L. Mills, U. S. A., Superintendent 
of the West Point Military Academy. By means of a 
map of the period, furnished by the Society, the U. S. 
Engineers located the sites of the Revolutionary works, 
and the Society has marked them with stone monuments 
lettered to correspond with the map. These interesting 
reminders of the military history of the Point can thus 
readily be identified and recognized on both the United 
States and the State Reservations. The U. S. Lighthouse 
Board has permitted the Society to remove the division- 
al fence between the United States and State Reser- 
vations and in future the two reservations can be 
treated upon a single plan in the matter of improve- 
ments. 

Since the Reservation has been thrown open to the 
public* it has been visited by thousands of persons, and 
when the proper shelters and conveniences are provided, 
it will undoubtedly become a very popular resort. 



* The Reservation was formally dedicated July i6, 1902, but was 
informally accessible when the right-of-way to the public highway 
was opened in the spring of that year. 

17 



III. 

BEFORE THE ASSAULT. 

Two facts chiefly conspired to make Stony Point prom- 
inent in the Am.erican Revolution. The first was its 
geographical situation, and the second the British plan 
of campaign. 

At Ston}- Point, the banks of the Hudson River 
approach within half a mile of each other, making the 
river narrower there than at any other place between the 
Point and the lower end of Manhattan Island, 40 miles 
below. This practical convenience led to the early 
establishment, between Stony Point and Verplanck's 
Point, of the ferry known in Colonial days as King's 
Ferry, which was a much frequented thoroughfare 
between the New England colonies on the east and their 
sisters on the west and south. The western terminus of 
the ferry was in an indentation on the northern side of 
Stony Point, where the protection of the promontory 
and the depth of water close to shore afforded excep- 
tional accommodations for boats. 

As soon as the British had been driven out of Boston, 
on March 17, 1776, it became evident that they would 
direct their main efforts to the conquest of the central 
colony of New York. Such a plan appeared particularly 
feasible to them, because the Tory sentiment in New 
York was very strong ; and because the Hudson River 
and the Champlain Valley afford unusual facilities for a 

18 



combined attack from the north and south. By con- 
trolling the line of the Hudson, they hoped to cut the 
Colonies in two, and having severed the wickedest two 
of the conspirators, Massachusetts and Virginia, they 
expected to have little difficulty in subduing the rebels 
in detail. 

Washington's quick military genius anticipated such 
an attempt. When Howe sailed away from Boston in 
1776, Washington, supposing his destination to be New 
York, despatched five regiments and some artillery to 
Manhattan Island, the rest of the army following at 
intervals. On April 4th, he left Cambridge himself for 
New York, and one of his first concerns was to fortify 
New York and the Hudson against the expected arrival 
of Howe. He therefore appointed a Board of Officers 
to examine the river, and on June i, 1776, Lord Stirling 
reported to him in part as follows : 

" Agreeable to your request, I left New York on Sunday last in 
order to view the fortifications on the Hudson River in the Highlands. 
I took with me Colonel (Rufus) Putnam, Chief Engineer and Captain 
Sargeant of the Artillery. The winds were so averse that we did not 
reach Fort Montgomery until Wednesday evening, but with the help 
of our boat we employed our time in visiting several other parts of 
the river that appeared proper for fortifying. At the mouth or south 
end of the Highlands, about four miles below Fort Montgomery, there 
is a post (Stony Point), which appears to me well worth possessing 
on many accounts : should the enemy be in possession of it, we 
should be cut off from our best communications with the whole 
country below the Highlands, eastward as well as westward. * * " 

The suggestion concerning Stony Point does not 
appear to have been acted upon at once. On November 
9, 1776 — after the battles of Long Island, Harlem Heights 
and White Plains — Lord Stirling crossed King's Ferry 
with 1 200 men bound for New Jersey, apparently land- 
ing on the southern side of the point, for he wrote to 
Washington under date of *' Haverstraw, November 10, 

19 



1776," complaining of the shallowness of his landing 

place, and saying: 

" About half a mile farther north and on the north side of Stony 
Point is a good landing place in deep water, and easily secured by 
placing two pieces of cannon on the end of the Point. It will require 
about half a mile of new road and a short causeway and a small bridge ." 

Four days later, Washington had a chance to verify 
Stirling's statement, for on November 14, having 
despatched his army from Westchester County to the 
Jerseys and having inspected places at Peekskill and in 
its neighborhood, he crossed King's Ferry en route to 
Hackensack. Soon thereafter more attention was given 
to this point, and on November 18, 1776, General Heath 
"ordered a detachment from Peekskill to King's Ferry, 
to do duty at that place, as they were well acquainted 
with boats." 

This detachment doubtless rendered material assist- 
ance in collecting the boats which carried the contu- 
macious General Charles Lee and his belated troops 
from Verplanck's Point to Stony Point on December 2d, 
1776, en route to join Washington in his famous retreat 
through the Jerseys. 

But on account of the small resources of the Colonists, 
the American army made no attempts at any extensive 
fortifications at Stony Point for sometime, concentrat- 
ing their efforts in the Highlands, more particularly on 
the works at Fort Clinton, Fort Montgomery and West 
Point ; and there was nothing at this point to impede 
Sir Henry Clinton, when, in October, 1777, he threw his 
forces across King's Ferry to capture the Clinton and 
Montgomery forts. This episode is described in the 
Life of John Lamb as follows : 

" Early in October, 1777, the British General embarked his forces, 
ostensibly for a southern expedition and wanted a favorable wind for 
the execution of his real design, which was to make a diversion in 



favor of Burgoyne (then held in check at the north) by the capture of 
the river defenses. The opportunities were propitious and a power- 
ful naval armament with 4000 troops on board suddenly menaced 
Putnam's position* and landed at Verplanck's Point. t Putnam was 
caught by the device, and believing the east side of the river to be the 
object of the British General, obstinately refused the entreaties of 
officers more sagacious than himself to send adequate succor to the 
posts opposite ; nor after the main body of the British had next day:}: 
crossed to Stony Point and were on their way to Forts Clinton and 
Montgomery, and even after the firing on the forts above him, could 
he be prevailed upon to send relief to the beleagured posts." 

Following their success at Forts Clinton and Mont- 
gomery, the British, under Vaughan, pushed farther north 
and burned Kingston October 13th ; but on that very 
day, Burgoyne had opened negotiations for surrender at 
Saratoga, and when the lower party heard of his capitu- 
lation October 17th, they withdrew down the river. A 
year later, a portion of Burgoyne's captive army crossed 
King's Ferry en route to Virginia. 

Sir Henry's successful dash at the Highland forts seems 
to have directed attention more seriously toward the 
necessity of interposing more formidable obstacles at 
King's Ferry ; and the Americans therefore constructed 
some works on Stony and Verplanck's Point. The works 
at Verplanck's Point were named Fort Fayette, but 
neither post was strong enough to resist an assault, as 
was soon to be proved. 

Determined to evict the Americans from these positions. 
Sir Henry Clinton, accompanied by General Vaughan 
sailed up the river on May 30, 1779, with a strong force 
on a flotilla commanded by Commodore Sir George 
Collier. On the morning of the 31st, they landed in two 
divisions, one under Vaughan on the east side about 8 
miles below Fort Fayette, and the other under Clinton 

* Putnam was stationed at Peekskill. 
f October 5th, 1777. 

:}: October 6th, 1777, the day of the capture of Forts Clinton and 
Montgomery. 



himself on the west side, a short distance above Haver- 
straw. The garrison at Stony Point, numbering only 40 
men, seeing the futility of any resistance, discreetly 
withdrew to the Highlands, burning their blockhouse 
and destroying their stores ; and on the morning of June 
ist, Sir Henry was in possession. The British then turned 
their guns across the river upon Fort Fayette, while 
Vaughan attacked it from the rear; whereupon the 
garrison of 70 men surrendered. The terms of capitu- 
lation granted by the British bore the signature of an 
officer whose name was destined to a melancholy promi- 
nence in connection with Stony and Verplanck's Points 
the following year. They read as follows : 

" On the glacis of Fort Fayetre, June i, 1779- 
"His Excellency Sir Henry Clinton and Commodore Sir George 
Collier grant to the garrison of Fort Fayette terms of safety to the 
persons and property (contained in the fort) of the garrison, they 
surrendering themselves prisoners of war. The ofBcers shall be 
permitted to wear their side arms. 

"JOHN ANDRE, Aide-de-Camp. " 



22 



IV. 
WAYNE'S EXPLOIT. 

That the enemy went to work with the most earnest 
assiduity to render Stony Point impregnable, if possible, 
appears from a graphic letter written by Col. Jesse 
Wood hull from Haverstraw, on June 7th, 1779, to "Coll. 
Malcom, near West Point," describing what he could 
discover with a spy-glass, of the enemy's activities : 
(verbatim) " They are at work Like a Parsels of Devils 
in fortifying both Stony Point and Van Planck's Point ; 
they have got no Less than five Redoubts to all 
appearances finished and their Cannon mounted on 
Stony Point." 

The loss of these outposts was greatly lamented by 
Washington, and doubtless strengthened his determina- 
tion to summon to his aid a man who enjoyed his 
unreserved confidence and whose courage and abilities 
placed him, if not among generals of the first rank, like 
Greene, certainly first in the next rank of men like 
Montgomery, Marion, Morgan, Alien, Stark, and Put- 
nam. 

Anthony Wayne was the grandson of another Anthony 
Wayne who had fought for the King at the battle of the 
Boyne and who came from Ireland to Pennsylvania in 
1722, and the son of Isaac Wayne, who was a mem- 
ber of the Provincial Legislature and a commissioned 
officer in the Indian wars. He was born in Chester 
County, Pa,, Jan. ist, 1745, and in his youth adopted the 

23 



profession of civil engineer. From 1767 to 1774, he dis- 
charged various trusts, public and private. He was 
elected to the Pennsylvania Convention in 1774, and 
appointed a member of the Committee of Safety in 1775, 
where he performed effective duty in organizing the 
military in his part of the State. 

On January 3d, 1776, Wayne was commissioned Colonel 
of a Pennsylvania Regiment, and participated in the 
expedition to Canada, successfully conducting the retreat 
at Trois Rivieres. From July 17th, 1776, until May, 1777, 
he had command of Fort Ticonderoga, having been 
promoted to the rank of Brigadier General on February 
2ist, 1777. He then joined Washington in New Jersey, 
and so distinguished himself in the repulse of Howe from 
Middlebrook that Washington mentioned him in a letter 
to Congress on June 28th. At the battle of the Brandy- 
wine, on September nth, 1777, Wayne's plucky defense 
of Chad's Ford kept Knyphausen from precipitating his 
division and artillery on the retreating Americans, and 
materially assisted in checking the reverse of the day. 

On Sept. 20th, 1777, near Paoli, Pa., Wayne, finding his 
brigade intercepted by the British, cut his way out of a 
desperate situation with a loss of 150 men. At the bat- 
tle of Germantown, his horse was shot from under him 
and he was wounded in the left foot and left hand. It 
will be remembered that in the fog and smoke of the 
battle of Germantown which " made it almost as dark as 
night," the Americans mistook each other for the enemy 
and frequently exchanged shots with themselves — a dis- 
astrous error which probably led to the precaution at 
Stony Point of putting pieces of white paper in the hats 
of the soldiers. During the winter of 1777-1778, Wayne, 
by successful foraging raids, helped to carry the Army 
through the sufferings of Valley Forge. 

24 



At the battle of Monmouth, on June 28th, 1778, for the 
third time under the eyes of the Commander-in-Chief, 
Wayne handled his troops with great intrepidity and 
effect. He was the only officer of whom particular men- 
tion was made in Washington's communication to Con- 
gress. When Gen. Charles Lee was court-martialed for 
his conduct at Monmouth, Wayne, as an impartial wit- 
ness, was obliged to pass some severe strictures on Lee's 
military character. This incident will assist the reader in 
appreciating at its full value Lee's unreserved commen- 
dation of Wayne's conduct at Stony Point. In the winter 
of 1778-1779, the army being quartered at Middlebrook, 
N. J., Wayne resigned his command, meanwhile keeping 
actively at work, raising troops, etc. 

This was Wayne's record in brief up to the time when 

Stony Point was taken by the British, on June ist, 1779. 

On June 21st, Washington summoned Wayne to the army 

in the Highlands of the Hudson and gave him command 

of the Light Infantry posted near Fort Montgomery, 

and on July ist, wrote to Wayne a confidential letter, in 

which he said : 

" The importance of the two posts of Verplanck's and Stony Points 
is too obvious to need explanation. We ought, if possible, to dis- 
possess them. I recommend it to your particular attention, without 
delay, to gain as exact a knowledge as you can of the number of the 
garrisons, the state of the creeks that surround the former, the nature 
of the ground in the vicinity of both, the position and strength of the 
fortifications, the situation of the guards, the number and stations of 
the vessels in the river, and the precautions in general which the 
enemy employ for their security." 

On July 2d, Wayne reconnoitred Stony Point with the 
aid of Col. Butler and Major Stewart, who were thus 
prepared for the part which they were to take on the 
night of July 15-16. On July 3d, Wayne expressed to 
Washington the opinion that a siege or storm would be 
impracticable, but that a surprise might succeed. On 

25 



July 4th, Washington made an appointment with Wayne 
to reconnoitre the works in person on the following day. 

While this critical study of the works at Stony Point 
was proceeding, Washington's purpose to undertake some 
enterprise against the post was strengthened by the 
enemy's harassing incursions into Connecticut, which, 
owing to his circumscribed resources, he was unable to 
prevent. 

On July 5th| 1779, Tryon had burned the ships in New 
Haven harbor and two or three streets of warehouses, 
and slain several citizens. On July 8th, he landed at 
Fairfield and, having utterly destroyed the town, burned 
Green Farms and Norwalk. In Fairfield and Norwalk, 
he destroyed 162 dwellings, 142 barns, 59 stores and 
4 churches. 

Chafing under the disabilities imposed by inadequate 
military resources, and yet realizing the necessity of 
counteracting these wanton raids upon Connecticut, 
Washington wrote from New Windsor, on July 9th, 1779, 
to General Wayne, as follows : 

" While the enemy are making excursions to distress the country, 
it has a very disagreeable aspect to remain in a state of inactivity on 
our part. The reputation of tlie army and the good of the service 
seem to exact some attempt from it. The importance of Stony Point 
to the enemy makes it infinitely desirable that this post could be the 
object. The works are formidable, but perhaps on fuller examination 
they may be found accessible. A deserter yesterday informed me 
that there was a sandy beach on the south side, running along the 
flank of the works, and only obstructed by a slight abatis which might 
afiord an easy and safe approach." 

On the following day, Washington wrote to Wayne the 
following letter, which illustrates in a remarkable way 
the minuteness with which Washington mastered every 
detail and anticipated every contingency involved in a 
critical operation : 

26 



"New Windsor, loth July, 1779. 
" Dear Sir: — 

* * * * My ideas of the enterprise in contemplation are these: 

"That it should be attempted by the Light Infantry only, which 
should march under cover of night and with the utmost secrecy to the 
enemy's lines, securing every person they find to prevent discovery, 

" Between one and two hundred chosen men and officers I conceive 
fully sufficient for the surprise, and apprehend the approach should be 
along the water on the south side, crossing the beach and entering at 
the abatis. 

"This party to be led by a vanguard of prudent and determined 
men, well commanded, who are to remove obstructions, secure the 
sentries, and drive in the guard. They are to advance, the whole of 
them, with fixed bayonets and muskets unloaded. The officers com- 
manding them are to know precisely what batteries or particular parts 
of the line they are respectively to possess, that confusion and the 
consequence of indecision may be avoided. 

"These parties should be followed by the main body at a small 
distance for the purpose of support and making good the advantage 
which may be gained, or to bring them off in case of repulse and dis- 
appointment. Other parties may advance to the works (but not so as 
to be discovered till the conflict is begun) by way of the causey and 
river on the north if practicable, as well for the purpose of distracting 
the enemy in their defence as to cut off their retreat. These parties 
may be small unless the access and approaches should be very easy 
and safe. 

"The three approaches here mentioned should be well reconnoitred 
beforehand and by persons of observation. Single men in the night 
will be more likely to ascertain facts than the best glasses in the day. 

" A white feather or cockade, or some other visible badge of distinc- 
tion for the night, should be worn by our troops, and a watchword 
agreed on to distinguish friends from foes. 

"If success should attend the enterprise, measures should be 
instantly taken to prevent if practicable the retreat of the garrison by 
water or to annoy them as much as possible if they attempt it ; and 
the guns should be immediately turned against the shipping and Ver- 
planck's Point and covered if possible from the enemy's fire. 

"Secrecy is so much more essential to these kind of enterprises 
than numbers, that I should not think it advisable to employ any 
other than the light troops. If a surprise takes place they are fully 
competent to do the business ; if it does not, numbers will avail little. 

" As it is in the power of a deserter to betray the design, defeat the 
project, and involve the party in difficulties and danger, too much 
caution cannot be used to conceal the intended enterprise to the latest 
hour from all but the principal officers of your corps and from the men 
till the moment of execution. Knowledge of your intention ten 
minutes previously obtained, blasts all your hopes ; for which reason, 
a small detachment composed of tnen whose fidelity you can rely on, 
under the care of a judicious officer, should guard every avenue 

27 



through the marsh to the enemy's works by which our deserters or 
their spies can pass, and prevent all intercourse. 

" The usual time for exploits of this kind is a little before day, for 
which reason a vigilant officer is then more on the watch ; I therefore 
recommend a midnight hour. 

" I had in view to attempt Verplanck's Point at the same instant 
that your operations should commence at Stony Point, but the 
uncertainty of co-operating in point of time, and the hazard thereby 
run of defeating the attempt on Stony Point, which is infinitely most 
important, — the other being dependent, — has induced me to suspend 
that operation. 

" These are my general ideas for a surprise, but you are at liberty 
to depart from them in every instance where you think they might be 
improved or changed for the better. A dark night and even a rainy 
one, if you can find the way, will contribute to your success. The 
officers in these night marches should be extremely attentive to keep 
their men together as well for the purpose of guarding against desertion 
to the enemy as to prevent skulking. 

" As it is a part of the plan, if the surprise should succeed, to make 
use in the enemy's cannon against their shipping and post on the 
other side, it might be well to have a small detachment of artillery 
with you to serve them. I have sent an order to the park for the 
purpose, and to cover the design have ordered down a couple of light 
field pieces. When you march you can leave the pieces behind. 

" So soon as you have fixed your plan and time of execution, I shall 
be obliged to you to give me notice. 

" I shall immediately order you a reinforcement of light infantry 
and more espontoons. 

" I am, with great regard, 
"Dr. Sir, 

" Yr. most Obet. Servant, 

" Go. Washington. 
" Brigr. Genl. Wayne." 

On the day following the receipt of this letter (July nth), 
Wayne made another reconnoissance of Stony Point, 
taking with him Colonels Butler and Febiger. Mean- 
while, to make assurance doubly sure, Washington had 
directed Col. Rufus Putnam, one of the most skillful 
engineers in the arm}^ to scrutinize Stony and Verplanck's 
Points. After four days of diligent reconnoissance, 
Putnam made a report to Washington on July 14th. 

Affairs now culminated rapidly and on July 14th, 
Washington authorized Wayne to make the attack the 
next night. Wayne proceeded with the utmost swiftness 

28 



and secrecy in maturing and executing his plans. They 
were concealed from all but a few trusted officers until 
almost the moment of the assault. By ii o'clock on 
Thursday morning, July 15th, he had prepared and for- 
warded to Washington the following Order of Battle. 
It is a grim document, terrible in its requirements and 
penalties ; but, while reflecting the stern and determined 
characters of both Washington and Wayne, it was dic- 
tated by humane principles, was based on the most 
painstaking study of the problem in advance, and pro- 
ceeded from the almost certain knowledge that compli- 
ance with its terms would ensure success. 

ORDER OF BATTLE. 

" The troops will march at o'clock and move by the right, mak- 
ing a short halt at the creek or run next on this side Clement's. 
Every ofScer and non-commissioned officer must remain with and be 
answerable for every man in their platoons, no soldier to be permitted 
to quit his ranks on any pretext whatever until a general halt is made, 
and then to be attended by one of the officers of the platoon. 

" When the head of the troops arrive in the rear of the hill ' Z,' * 
Febiger will form his regiment into a solid column of a half platoon 
in front as fast as they come up. Col. Meigs will form next in Febi- 
ger's rear, and Major Hull in the rear of Meigs, which will form the 
right column. 

" Colonel Butler will form a column on the left of Febiger and 
Major Murphey in his rear. 

" Every officer and soldier are then to fix a piece of white paper in 
the most conspicuous part of his hat or cap as an insignia to be 
distinguished from the enemy. 

"At the word March, Colonel Fleury will take charge of 150 
determined and picked men, properly officered, with their arms 
unloaded, placing their whole dependence on the bayonet, who will 
move about 20 paces in front of the right column by the route ' i ' 
and enter the sally-port ' B.' He is to detach an officer and 20 men 
a little in front, whose business will be to secure the sentries and 
remove the abatis and obstruction for the column to pass through. 
The column will follow close in the rear with shouldered muskets 
led by Colonel Febiger and Gen. Wayne in person. When the 



*Up to the present time the map to which these marks refer has 
not been discovered, if it is still in existence. The exact routes of the 
attacking columns, after leaving the rendezvous at Springsteel's, are, 
therefore involved in some obscurity. 

29 



works are forced, and not before, the victorious troops as they enter 
will give the watchword * with a repealed and loud voice, and drive 
the enemy from their works and guns, which will favor the pass of 
the whole troops. Should the enemy refuse to surrender, or attempt 
to make their escape by water or otherwise, effectual means must 
be used to effect the former and to prevent the latter. 

"Col. Butler v/ill move by route '2,' preceded by 100 chosen 
men, with fixed bayonets, properly officered and unloaded, under 
command of at the distance of about 20 

yards in front of the column, which will follow Col. Butler with shoul- 
dered muskets and enter the sally-port 'E' or 'D' occasionally. 
These hundred will also detach a proper officer and 20 men a little in 
front to remove the obstructions. As soon as they gain the works, 
they are also to give and continue the watchword, which will prevent 
confusion and mistake. 

"Major Murphey will follow Col. Butler to the first figure '3,' 
when he will divide a little to the right and left and wait the attack on 
the right, which will be his signal to begin and keep up a perpetual 
and galling fire and endeavor to enter between and possess the work 
'AA.' 

" If any soldier presumes to take his musket from his shoulder, or 
to fire or begin the battle until ordered by his proper officer, he 
shall be instantly put to death by the officer next to him ; for the 
misconduct of one man is not to put the whole troops in danger or 
disorder, and be suffered to pass with life. After the troops begin to 
advance to the works, the strictest silence must be observed and the 
closest attention paid to the commands of the officers. 

" The General has the fullest confidence in the bravery and fortitude 
of the Corps that he has the happiness to command. The distin- 
guished honor conferred on every officer and soldier who has been 
drafted into the Corps by His Excellency Gen. Washington, the credit 
of the states they respectively belong to, and their own reputation 
will be such powerful motives for each man to distinguish himself, 
that the General cannot have the least doubt of a glorious victory. 
And he hereby most solemnly engages to reward the first man who 
enters the works with $500, and immediate promotion ; to the second, 
400 ; to the third, 300 ; to the fourth, 200 ; and to the fifth, $100 ; and 
will represent the conduct of every officer and soldier who distinguishes 
himself on this occasion in the most favorable point of view to His 
Excellency, whose greatest pleasure is in rewarding merit. 

" But should there be any soldier so lost to every feeling of honor 
as to attempt to retreat one single foot or to skulk in the face of 
danger, the officer next to him is to immediately put him to death, 
that he may no longer disgrace the name of a soldier, or the Corps or 
State he belongs to. 

" As General Wayne is determined to share the danger of the night, 
so he wishes to participate of the glory of the day in common with 
his fellow soldiers." 



* The watchword was " The Fort's Our Own." 

30 



The foregoing Order of Battle, it must be remembered, 
had not yet been divulged to the men in Wayne's com- 
mand. 

About noon on July 15th, Wayne held a review of his 
troops at Sandy Beach, about 14 miles north of Stony 
Point. It was the first inspection he had made of them 
as a body since he assumed command. Little did they 
suspect the grim work in store for them, disguised as 
it was under his order to officers and men to appear 
freshly shaved, well powdered, and fully equipped and 
rationed in order that he might judge of their prepara- 
tion for duty. When the inspection was over, instead 
of being dismissed to their quarters, they were wheeled 
into column and started on a march southward. There 
were about 1,300 men in Wayne's Corps in 1779, and 
his organization as stated below appears to have been 
substantially that of the attacking party, which numbered 
1,150 men. The First regiment was commanded by Col. 
Christian Febiger, who had come to America from 
Denmark in 1774. His First Battalion of two Virginia 
and two Pennsylvania companies was commanded by a 
gallant Frenchman, Lieut. Col. Louis de Fleury, and 
his Second Battalion of four Virginia companies by 
Major Thomas Posey of Virginia. 

The Second Regiment was commanded by Col. Richard 
Butler of Pennsylvania. Four Pennsylvania companies 
formed his First Battalion under Lieut. Col. Samuel 
Hay and four Maryland companies composed his Second 
Battalion under Major John Stewart. 

The Third Regiment was commanded by Col. Return 
Jonathan Meigs of Connecticut. Four Connecticut 
companies under Lieut. Col. Isaac Sherman composed 
the First Battalion and four more under Acting Major 
Henry Champion the Second. 

31 



The Fourth Regiment in Wayne's organization was 
that of Col. Rufus Putnam of Massachusetts. His First 
Battalion, four Massachusetts companies, was command- 
ed by Major Wm. Hull, of Massachusetts, and his Second, 
two North Carolina and two Massachusetts companies, 
by Major Hardy Murfree of North Carolina. At this 
time, however, it was only partially organized, and 
Major Hull's command in the battle was a '' detachment " 
of about 300 men assigned to him for the occasion. 

"Light Horse " Harry Lee had been ordered to follow 
the expedition with a reserve corps. A regiment under 
Col. Ball was moved forward from Rose's Farm for 
additional support, and General Muhlenberg's brigade 
had been manoeuvred into the vicinity by Washington 
upon some pretext as a cover for the whole. 

Wayne's own troops took an unfrequented back road, 
behind Bear Mountain, and about 8 P. M. halted at- 
Springsteel's Farm, about a mile and a half west of 
Stony Point. Here, while the troops were resting, 
Wayne and other officers made another careful examina- 
tion of the ground they were to cover. Wayne also 
took time to write a farewell letter to his brother-in-law, 
Sharp Delany, committing his wife and little son and 
daughter to Mr. Delany's consolation and care. 

At length the Order of Battle was read to the troops, 
and then they knew the bloody work for which they 
were destined. The watchword was given and pieces 
of white paper were fixed in their hats. 

At 11.30 P. M. the order to march was given, and with 
the silence of a phantom army the two columns started 
for the assault. 

The right column was headed by a " forlorn hope " of 
20 men under Lieut. Knox. Next came the remainder 
of the van, 130 men under Lieut. Col. Fleury. Then, 

32 



REFERENCES. 

Work A. " Ruins of a blockhouse erected and des- 
troyed by the Americans." Site now occupied by the 
U S Lighthouse. Elevation 130 feet. 

Work B. Earthwork near site of "a temporary 
magazine." 

Work C. "One 24 and one 18 pr. ship guns." 
Elevation 130 feet. _ 

Work D. "Ditto." Elevation 130 feet. 

Work E,* " One iron 12 pr." Elevation 130 feet. 

Work F. "One 8 inch howitzer." Elevation 120 



feet. 

Work G. 

Work H. 
loi feet. 

Work I. 
feet. 

Work J. 

Work O. 

Work Q. 

Work R. 

Work S. 



" One brass 12 pr." Elevation 130 feet. 
"One short brass 12 pr." Elevation 

"One long brass 12 pr." Elevation 115 

Elevation 140 feet, highest on the Point. 
Elevation 125 feet. 
Elevation 75 feet. 
Elevation 100 feet. 
Elevation 125 feet. 

" Two companies of the 17th Regt." 

" Do." 
" Sixty of the Loyal Americans." 
" The Grenadier companies of the 17th Regt." 
" A Detachment of the Royal Artillery." 
Approach of American right column, night of 
July 15-16, 1779. 

7. American right column as erroneously shown 
on British map. 

8. Major Murfree's approach to make feint in 
center. 

9. Approach of American left column. 



I. 
2. 
3- 
4- 
5- 
6. 



The fourteen works above mentioned appear on "A plan 
of the Surprise of Stony Point by a Detachment of the 
American Army commanded by Brigr. Genl. Wayne, on the 
15th of July, 1779. . . From the surveys of Wm. Simp- 
son, Lt. 17th Regt., and D. Campbell, Lt. 426 Rt., by 
John Hills, Lt. 23d Regt. and Asst. Engr. London. Print- 
ed for Wm. Faden, Geographer to the King, March ist, 
1784." They were located for the American Scenic and 
Historic Preservation Society by a topographical survey, 
made with the permission of the War Department, by 
direction of Col. A. L. Mills, U S. A., Superintendent of 
the U. S. Military Academy at West Point, by a party of 
Engineers under Lt. James P. Jervey. They are readily 
recognizable on the ground, and may be identified by 
means of stone markers. Works A. to L inclusive, are letter- 
ed identically with those on the British map Works J., 
O., Q., R. and S. appear on the British map without letters 
and have been lettered by the U. S. Engineers. References 
I, 2, 3, 4 and 5 are taken from the British map on which 
they are similarly numbered. The lines of approach here 
numbered 7, 8 and g, the pickets, ferrj' guard, abatis and 
quotations, are from the same map. Route 7 is undoubtedly 
erroneous. The weight of present evidence indicates 
that routes 6, 8 and 9 are approximately correct. 




C d*^*^''tM»ym'9»9^ 



with General Wayne, came the regiments of Febiger 
and Meigs and the detachment of Hull. 

The left column was led by another " forlorn hope " of 
20 men under Lieut. Gibbon. Next came the remainder 
of the van, 80 men under Major Stewart, and then 
Butler's regiment, followed by Major Murfree's com- 
panies. 

While the Americans stealthily approached, the British 
garrison was sleeping quietly in the fancied security of 
its position. It numbered some 700 men, chiefly from 
the Royal Artillery, the 17th Foot, the 71st Grenadiers, 
and the Loyal Americans, all under command of Lieut. 
Henry Johnson of the 17th. Perched in their craggy 
fortress, like eagles in their nest, protected on two sides 
by the Hudson River in which British gunboats rode at 
anchor, and on the inside shore by a dangerous morass 
crossed only by a narrow causeway, the position of the 
British was well-nigh impregnable. Their works on the 
heights contained fifteen pieces of artillery, ranging in 
caliber from an 8-inch howitzer down to 12-pounders, and 
were protected on the western slope by two rows of 
abatis, reaching from the river on the north to the river 
on the south. 

In the absence of the diagram referred to in Wayne's 
order of battle, a rough sketch in President Stiles' Diary 
in the Yale University Library,* and a plan of the sur- 
prise of Stony Point drawn by British engineers f and 
published by William Faden, the King's geographer in 



* This sketch is reproduced in Prof. H. P. Johnston's valuable 
book on Stony Point. 

f This map is certainly wrong in representing the Americans 
wading out so far as to strike inside of the inner line of abatis ; and 
there is some reason to doubt that the Americans crossed the marsh 
at three different places ; but the preponderance of available evidence 
is in favor of this latter theory. 

33 



1784, are generally accepted as approximately correct 
in showing the routes taken by Wayne's troops when 
they invaded the peninsula. The Americans reached the 
peninsula and began the assault about 12.30 A. M., on 
July 16, 1779. 

Wayne's right column is supposed to have made a 
wide detour to the southeast from Springsteel's, striking 
the beach south of Stony Point, wading across the south- 
ern mouth of the marsh, reaching the upland of the 
peninsula just west of the first line of abatis, and fighting 
its way up the southern side of the slope. Butler's 
column is thought to have waded across the northern 
end of the marsh, and skirted the northern end of the 
peninsula. Murfree is commonly conceded to have bro- 
ken off from Butler's rear and crossed the Mud Bridge 
midway between the right and left columns, to " amuse " 
the enemy in the center. Murfree's men were the only 
ones permitted to load their guns, and as soon as the 
firing from the British apprised him that Wayne's 
approach was discovered, he began a noisy demonstra- 
tion in the center to give the impression that he was 
making the main attack. 

Meanwhile, the right and left columns, still without 
loading, were picking their way up the precipitous rocks 
like mountain goats, fighting only with the bayonet. 
The British were soon astounded to find the Americans 
right under their noses on two sides of their works. In 
their desperation, they poured down a frightful fire from 
heavy guns and small arms at the attacking parties, 
whom they could but dimly see and whose numbers 
they had no means of ascertaining. The surprise and 
terror of the British could not have been greater if the 
rocks had opened and a thousand crews of Henry 
Hudson's men had appeared in the midst of them. 

34 



But they had no vapory ghosts to contend with; and 
Wayne's men, plunging into an inferno of grape shot 
and musketry and pressing steadily upward, tore their 
way through the double line of abatis, passed to the 
breastworks, cut away the pickets, cleared the chevaux- 
de-frise at a sally-port, mounted the parapet, and 
entered the fort at the point of the bayonet, shouting, by 
pre-arrangement, " The Fort's Our Own ! " 
/^ Almost immediately the left column entered from the 
other side, and the triumph was complete. During the 
assault, Wayne was wounded in the head, but struggling 
to his knees, cried out, " March on. Carry me into the 
Fort. Let fne die at the head of my column." 

Wayne's wound, however, proved to be a slight one, and 
he lived many years to add to an already glorious 
career. * 

The total loss of the Americans was 15 killed and 83 
wounded. The British placed their losses at 20 killed 
and 132 wounded and missing. Wayne, however, report- 
ed that he had killed 63, wounded 61 and captured 575 
prisoners. Only one of the British garrison escaped. 

Upon securing possession of the fort, the Americans 
turned the guns on Verplanck's Point, but without effect. 
The British ships discreetly slipped their cables and 
dropped down stream. 

The day after the capture, Washington came to Stony 
Point with Generals Greene, Steuben, and others and 



* His raid at Bull's Ferry, N. J., July 21, 1780, which formed the 
theme of Andre's famous satirical poem ; his battle at Jamestown 
Ford, Va., July 6, 1781 ; his participation in the siege of Yorktown ; 
and his appointment in 1792 and services as Commander-in-Chief of 
the American Army for the suppression of the border war in the 
Northwest, are only a few of the mountain peaks that glow with the 
light of the brilliant life that ended at Presque Isle, on December 
15, 1796. 

35 



congratulated his troops on their gallant behavior. The 
country rang with praises of Wayne, and Congress voted 
him a gold medal. It also gave Fleury a medal for 
being the first to enter the enemy's works. Gen. Charles 
Lee wrote to Wayne the letter already quoted in the 
opening chapter. 



36 



V. 

SUBSEQUENT EVENTS. 

Washington had not intended to retain Stony Point. 
On the i8th he evacuated it, destroying the works and 
taking away all the valuable stores and guns. The 
assault had served its purpose, however, as a counter- 
irritant for the troubles in Connecticut, and for the time 
being the aggressive operations of the enemy were para- 
lyzed. On July 2oth, 1779, the British re-occupied Stony 
Point and set to work industriously to rebuild their de- 
fenses more strongly than before. Washington meditated 
another assault, and on the 30th of July, 1779, wrote 
Wayne : 

" I wish for your opinion as a friend (not as commanding officer of 
the Light Troops) whether another attempt upon Stony Point by way 
of surprise is eligible. In any other manner, under present appear- 
ances and information, no good I am sure can come from it." 

Wayne evidently concluded to let well enough alone, 
for another assault was not attempted. Forces, however 
were operating in other ways to shorten the tenure of the 
enemy. Early in September the French fleet arrived off 
the southern coast, and Clinton, apprehending a joint 
attack by the French and American forces on New 
York, concluded to draw in his outlying forces. On 
September 23d, a report reached the American head- 
quarters at New Windsor that the King's Ferry posts had 
been abandoned, but it proved premature. 

On or about October 21st, however, the posts were 
evacuated, the enemy withdrawing a few days latter from 

37 



Newport, R. L, and thus freeing New England and the 

Hudson from British restraint. By October 29th, strong 

fatigue parties of Americans were at work restoring the 

fortifications at Stony and Verplanck's Points. 

On November 22d, 1779, General Knox instructed 

Colonel Lamb to inspect the posts at and near West 

Point, saying : 

" It is also necessary that you should examine whether the posts at 
Verplanck's and Stony Points are finished for the reception of the 
cannon designed for them. If they are prepared, or when they shall 
be, you will direct the cannon, which has been pointed out to you, 
and a proportionable quantity of ammunition (about 25 or 30 rounds 
for each piece with a sub, and fifteen or twenty men to manage them). 
The artillery men of the garrison will consist of Moodie's, Walker's 
and Fleming's companies of your battalion, and Sewell's, Dinnel's, 
Wells', and Burbeck's Companies of the 3rd Battalion." 

The next important event in connection with Stony 
Point was the treason of Arnold which was discovered 
on September 23d, 1780. Not only was Stony Point 
included in the fortifications which Arnold intended to 
betray, but the rendezvous at which Arnold and Andre 
met to complete their designs was near by, and both of 
the men passed over the Point in taking passage at 
different times at King's Ferry. 

It has been noted on a preceding page how the 
generals and armies, both American and British, tramped 
across Stony Point peninsula to or from this ferry, 
but perhaps no picture heretofore presented is so full 
of dramatic interest and vivid suggestion as that 
presented on Monday, September i8th, 1780, when Wash- 
ington and his staff arrived at King's Ferry from West 
Point and crossed in the ferry barge, Washington en route 
to Hartford to meet Rochambeau. In this barge, side 
by side, were the greatest American patriot and the 
greatest American traitor. When they separated, a few 
minutes later, they separated for life. Stony Point was 

38 



the diverging point in two historic lives, — one ending in 
consummate human glory, the other in the depth of 
shame. 

The story of the perfidy which Arnold that day con- 
cealed from his confiding chief is well known. On the 
night of September 21-22, 1780, the British Adjutant 
Major Andre, by Arnold's assistance, came ashore from 
the "Vulture" about 5 miles below Stony Point. After 
a prolonged night conference on the shore, Arnold took 
Andr6 to Joshua Hett Smith's house on Treason Hill, 
about 2 miles southwest of Stony Point. Here Arnold 
finally left Andre, who, disguising himself in Smith's 
clothes, and armed with a pass from Arnold, went up to 
Stony Point at sunset on September 22d, and took the 
ferry to Verplanck's Point. The next day, Andre was 
captured at Tarrytown. Two days later Arnold, hearing 
of Andre's fate, fled to the enemy. Andre was taken to 
West Point and confined a few days in Fort Putnam. 
On September 28th, he was rowed down the Hudson to 
Stony Point, and there went ashore with his guard, en 
route to Tappan, where he was tried and hanged as a spy. 

The next conspicuous incident connected with Stony 
Point was intimately associated with the close of the 
War for Independence. In July, 1781, the French Army 
under Rochambeau joined the American Army under 
General Washington at Dobbs Ferry. It was there that 
the Commander-in-Chief matured his triumphant York- 
town campaign, and when this movement was determined 
upon, the artillery, placed under Col. Lamb, broke up at 
Dobbs Ferry, marched up to Verplanck's Point, and 
crossed King's Ferry to Stony Point with the ordnance 
and stores. Thence, having joined the division under 
Gen. Lincoln, they took up their march for the Head of 
Elk. Thus we see the historic battle-field of Stony Point 

39 



m 



24 ^307 



017 136 319 6' 

once more pressed by the feet of martial hosts, en route 
to a great and final victory. 

Two years later, a little flotilla of American boats 
containing American troops sailed down the Hudson 
past these historic heights. Troop-laden vessels had 
ploughed the water of the great river many times during 
the past seven years, and many times had the shores on 
either side reverberated with the roar of cannon as they 
passed. But on that November day of 1783, the troops 
on these vessels wore not the strained look of men 
going to battle ; and the salvos that greeted them were 
not the voices of hostile guns. The treaty of peace had 
been signed ; and the war-worn veterans from West 
Point, with the light of victory shining in their faces, 
were en route to New York, to occupy the city which 
the vanquished enemy were about to vacate. The 
closing act of the great drama had begun, and with the 
passage of the victors before her lofty front, the story 
of Stony Point in the Revolution is completed. It is now 
embalmed among the proud and imperishable traditions 
of our State and Nation. 

By the work of the American Scenic and Historic 
Preservation Society, Stony Point has been saved from 
the despoiling hand of the quarryman, and henceforth 
will stand, in all its native grandeur, as one of Nature's 
rugged monuments to the sublime heroism of patriots. 



S^ 



40 



ana pistorit grjeseriaatiott ^ocietg 

fncorporate^ t805 

jr 

President 

Hon. Andrew H. Green 214 Broadway, New York 

Vice-Presidents 

Hon. Charles S. Francis Troy 

Frederick W. Devoe New York 

J. PiERPONT- Morgan - New York 

Walter S. Logan -.--:-. New York 

Treasurer 
Edward Payson Cone 314 W. 90th Street, New York 

Counsel - 
Col. Henry W. Sackett iTribune Building, New York 

Landscape Architect 

Samuel Parsons, Jr. St. James Building, New York 

Secretary 

Edward Hagaman Hall Tribune Building, New York 

jr 

Samuel P. Avery. Walter S. Logan. 

Reginald Pelham Bolton. Col. Abraham G. Mills. 

H. K. Bush-Brown. J. Pierpont Morgan. 

Edward Payson Cone. Hon. John Hudson Peck. 

Richard T. Davies. Mrs. M. Fay Peirce. 

Frederick W. Devoe. Hon. George W. Perkins. 

Hon. Chas. S. Francis. Edward T. Potter. 

Hon. Robert L. Fryer. Thomas R. Proctor. 

Hon. Andrew H. Green. William H. Russell. 

Francis Whiting Halsey. „ Henry W Sackett 

Hon. Hugh Hastings. ^ henry w. sackett. 

EDWARD p. Hatch. Albert Ulmann 

Hon. Henry E. Howland. "on. Wm. Van Valkenburgh. 

George F. Kunz. Hon. Thomas V. Welch. 

Frederick S. Lamb. Charles F. Wingaie. 

Hon. Francis G. Landon. Frank S. Witherbee. 



LIBRftRY OF CONGRESS 





